Devarim Rabbah Reader

Another matter: Rabbi Tanḥuma said: There was an incident involving a certain ship on which all [the passengers] were idolaters, and there was one Jew among them. They reached a certain island. They said to that Jew: ‘Take money, go up onto this island and purchase something for us from there.’ He said to them: ‘Am I not a stranger? Do I know where I am going?’ They said: ‘Is there a Jew who is a stranger? Everywhere you go, your God is with you.’32According to the Jerusalem Talmud (Berakhot 9:1), this incident occurred after the ship had been in dangerous seas, and all the idolators called out to their idols to save them and it was all to no avail, and then the Jew prayed to God and they were saved (Maharzu). That is, “that has God near it.”

What is, “in all of our calling to Him”? The Rabbis said: There is prayer that is answered after forty days. From whom do you derive this? From Moses, as it is written: “I fell before the Lord, as at the first, forty days…” (Deuteronomy 9:18).33The following verse concludes: “And the Lord heeded me that time as well” (Deuteronomy 9:19).

There is prayer that is answered after twenty days. From whom do you derive this? From Daniel, as it is written: “I ate no tasty bread…until the completion of three weeks of days” (Daniel 10:3), and then he said: “Lord, hear; Lord, forgive…” (Daniel 9:19). There is prayer that is answered after three days.

From whom do you derive this? From Jonah, as it is written: “Jonah was in the innards of the fish [for three days and three nights]” (Jonah 2:1). And then: “Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the innards of the fish” (Jonah 2:2). There is prayer that is answered after one day.

From whom do you derive this? From Elijah, as it is written: “[It was at the time of offering up the afternoon offering] that Elijah the prophet approached, and he said…[Today it will be known that You are God in Israel]” (I Kings 18:36). There is prayer that is answered after one time period.34This is one twelve-hour period, either one day or one night. From whom do you derive this?

From David, as it is written: “But as for me, let my prayer come to You, Lord, at a time of favor” (Psalms 69:14). There is a prayer that even before it is expressed from his mouth, the Lord will answer, as it is stated: “It will be, before they call, I will answer” (Isaiah 65:24).

“When you will beget children, and children’s children, and you will have been long in the land, and you will act corruptly and craft an idol, the image of anything, and you will perform evil in the eyes of the Lord your God, to anger Him” (Deuteronomy 4:25). “When you will beget children” – halakha: Is it permitted for a person of Israel to round the corners of his head? So taught the Sages: These are the matters that are prohibited due to the ways of the Amorite: One who cuts [his hair] in the komi style and one who grows a forelock.

What is cutting [one’s hair] in the komi style? This is one who cuts the corners of his head and leaves a handle of locks.35The haircut being described here is one in which the sides of the head are shaved and hair is left growing in the middle. This is described as a “handle of locks” of hair. Alternatively, some translate the word kurtzin here to mean “ears” and explain that the absence of hair near the ears makes them look like handles (Etz Yosef).

For what is he liable? He incurs forty lashes. But one who grows a forelock grows it only for the sake of idol worship, and there is no punishment harsher than that for idol worship, as the Holy One blessed be He is zealous only in its regard. From where is this derived?

As it is stated: “You shall have no other gods before Me…” (Exodus 20:3).36And it says in the continuation of this passage: “Because I am the Lord your God, a zealous God” (Exodus 20:5). And it is written: “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a zealous God” (Deuteronomy 4:24). The Rabbis said: Since there is no substance to idols, why does it call them deities? Rabbi Pinḥas bar Ḥama said: In order to give a reward to everyone who forsakes it.

The Holy One blessed be He said: Even though it has no substance, since a person forsakes it, I ascribe to him as though he had been worshipping something that had substance and came to Me. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: The Holy One blessed be He said: Since the punishment for idol worship is that harsh, I must caution them about it, so they will not say: Had He cautioned us we would have forsaken it.

The Holy One blessed be He said to Isaiah: ‘Do not think that perhaps I did not caution them against idol worship. Initially, before they came to Sinai to receive the Torah, I cautioned them against idol worship.’ From where is this derived? It is written as follows: “I told you beforehand; before you came, I announced it to you” (Isaiah 48:5) – before you came to Sinai I announced blessings and curses to you.

Why? “Lest you say: My graven image made them; my idol and my cast image commanded them” (Isaiah 48:5) – that is why I cautioned them about it. Through whom did I caution them? Through Moses My servant.

From where is this derived? It is from what we read regarding the matter: “When you will beget children, and children’s children.”

Another matter: This what the verse said: “As they increased, so they sinned against Me; I will change their honor into shame” (Hosea 4:7). What is “as they increased”? Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said: It means that everything that the prominent individuals perform, the generation performs.37The term “as they increased [kerubam]” is thus understood in the sense of “like their leader [kerabam].” How so?

If the Nasi permits something and the president of the court prohibits it, [the president of the court will say:] ‘If the Nasi permits should I prohibit? The judges will say: If the president of the court permits, shall we prohibit? The rest of the generation says: If the judges permit, shall we prohibit? Who caused the entire generation to sin?

It was the Nasi, who sinned first. Rabbi Simlai said: It is written: “For their mother committed harlotry; she who conceived them acted shamefully” (Hosea 2:7) – as they put their own words to shame before the masses. How so? The Sage sits and lectures in public: ‘Do not lend with interest,’ and he lends with interest.

He says: ‘Do not rob,’ and he robs. He says: ‘Do not steal,’ and he steals. Rabbi Berekhya said: There was an incident involving a certain person whose garment was stolen, and he went to file a complaint about it with the judge, and he found it spread on his bed. And Rabbi Berekhya said: There was an incident involving a certain person whose kettle was stolen, and he went to file a complaint about it with the judge, and he found it on his stove.

That is, “as they increased, so they sinned against Me.” Another matter: “As they increased, so they sinned against Me” (Hosea 4:7) – Rabbi Tanḥuma said: The more lands I provided for them, the more they sinned against Me. From where is this derived? As it is stated: “Their altars too will be as heaps on the furrows of the field” (Hosea 12:12).38They built altars for idol worship on the furrows of all the fields that they had.

Another matter: The more I increased their wealth, the more they sinned against Me. From where is this derived? As it is stated: “Their silver and gold they made into idols for themselves” (Hosea 8:4). Another matter: The more I increased their kings, the more they sinned against Me.

From where is it derived? It is as it is stated: “All their kings have fallen; no one among them calls to Me” (Hosea 7:7). Another matter: The more I increased their children, the more they sinned against Me, as it is stated: “When you will beget children…”

Another matter: “When you will beget children” – this what the verse said: “The act of the righteous brings life; the yield of the wicked is sin” (Proverbs 10:16). “The act of the righteous brings life” – Rabbi Tanḥum said: This is Elifaz, who grew up on Isaac’s lap.39Elifaz was a son of Esau. Because of the influence of his grandfather Isaac, Elifaz did not kill Jacob even though Esau commanded him to do so (see Rashi on Genesis 29:11).

“The yield of the wicked is sin” – this is Amalek, who grew up on Esau’s lap. Another matter: “The act of the righteous brings life” (Proverbs 10:16) – everything that David and Solomon his son did was to give life to Israel. What is “the yield of [tevuat] the wicked is sin” (Proverbs 10:16) – with one entry [bevia] that Menashe made into the Holy of Holies, he brought about sin for Israel, as he crafted a four-faced idol and took it into the Sanctuary.

From where is this derived? As it is stated: “And behold, north of the gate of the altar was this image of infuriation in the entrance [babia]” (Ezekiel 8:5). Rabbi Aḥa said: This is a great cry of injustice [biya] for the world; the temporary resident ousts the landlord.40The idol, as it were, ousted God’s Presence. Why did he craft a four-faced idol?

It was corresponding to the four beasts that bear the throne of the Holy One blessed be He.41See Ezekiel 1:5–10. Another matter: Why four faces? It was corresponding to the four directions of the world. Anyone who would come from the four directions of the world would prostrate himself to this idol.

What did the Holy One blessed be He do to [Menashe]? He delivered him into the hand of his enemies. From where is this derived? As it is stated: “The Lord brought upon them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria. [They captured Menashe…] and bound him with fetters” (II Chronicles 33:11).

They crafted for him a bronze cauldron, placed him inside it, and they kindled a fire beneath it, and he was being burned in it. At that moment, Menashe cried out to all the deities in the world to whom he would sacrifice, but not even one of them answered him, as it is stated: “Even if one will call to it, it will not answer, it will not save him from his trouble” (Isaiah 46:7). When Menashe saw that his trouble was severe, as not even one of them answered him, he began crying out to the Holy One blessed be He.

He said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, I cried out to all the deities in the world, although I knew that they lacked substance. Master of the universe, You are the God over all gods, and if You do not answer me, I will say: Perhaps, God forbid, that all beings are alike.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Wicked one, by right I should not answer you, as you have angered Me; however, in order not to slam the door before penitents, so they will not say: Menashe sought to repent and was not accepted, I will answer you.’

From where is this derived? As it is stated: “He prayed to Him, and He acceded to his entreaty [vaye’ater lo]” (II Chronicles 33:13) – He excavated on his behalf [vayaḥtor lo].42The Midrash elsewhere (Vayikra Rabba 30:3) explains this with the following statement: Rabbi Elazar bar Rabbi Shimon said: In Arabia, they call digging [ḥatirata] atirata. This teaches that the ministering angels were sealing the windows of the firmament so that his prayer would not ascend to Heaven.

What did the Holy One blessed be He do? He excavated beneath the Throne of Glory and accepted his prayer. “And returned him to Jerusalem to his kingdom” (II Chronicles 33:13) – Rabbi Shmuel bar Unya said in the name of Rabbi Aḥa: He returned him with the wind, just as it is said: He causes the wind to blow. At that moment, Menashe acknowledged that the Lord is God.

Another matter: “The act of the righteous is life” (Proverbs 10:16) – these are the righteous ones who came into the land, who had lived in the days of Moses. “The yield of the wicked is sin” (Proverbs 10:16) – “when you will beget children, and children’s children, and you will have been long in the land…”

What is “to anger Him”? Rabbi Elazar said: They would sit and calculate which forbidden relation is more egregious,43This calculation was made so that they could violate the most egregious prohibition and thereby anger God (Etz Yosef). as it is stated: “One [committed an abomination] with his neighbor’s wife, and [one] defiled [his daughter-in-law] with lewdness” (Ezekiel 22:11). What is “with lewdness”?

With forethought. They would say: One who consorts with a married woman is executed with strangulation, and one who consorts with his daughter-in-law is executed with stoning. The daughter-in-law is more egregious than the married woman. Rabbi Yishmael taught: “A man and his father go to the same young woman [in order to profane My holy name]” (Amos 2:7).

Could it be for lust? The verse states: “In order to profane My holy name” – that is “to anger Him.” Rabbi Levi said: Israel were not exiled until seven patrilineal houses became wicked: “Children” – two; “children’s children” – two; “and you will have been long in the land, and you will act corruptly and craft,” that is seven.44The plural term “children” indicates two, and the various verbs employed in the verse indicating sinful activity refer to an additional wicked household.

The Gemara (Gittin 88a) indicates that these seven patrilineal houses refer to seven dynasties of wicked kings of Israel: (1) Yerovam ben Nevat and his household; (2) Baasha ben Aḥiya and his household; (3) Omri and his household; (4)Yehu and his household; (5) Menaḥem and his household; (6) Pekaḥ and his household; and (7) Hoshea and his household.

“The Lord will disperse you among the peoples, and you will remain few in number among the nations where the Lord will lead you” (Deuteronomy 4:27). “When you are in distress, and all these matters befall you in the end of days, you will return to the Lord your God, and you will heed His voice” (Deuteronomy 4:30). The Rabbis said: May the name of the Holy One blessed be He be blessed, as He knows what was and what is destined to be, as it is written: “Telling the outcome from the outset…” (Isaiah 46:10).

How so? In this portion, Moses showed Israel how they are destined to be exiled if they sin, and how they repent, and how they are redeemed. How are they destined to [be exiled if they] sin? As it is written: “You will perform evil in the eyes of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 4:25), and then: “The Lord will disperse you among the peoples.”

And then, “when you are in distress, [and all these matters] befall you…[you will return to the Lord your God]. What is, “when you are in distress”? Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Akiva: Any distress that is experienced by an individual is distress, and any distress that is not experienced by an individual is not distress.45If the entire public is in distress, God will not allow the distress to continue for too long.

This is based on the fact that the verse states “when you [lekha] are in distress” with the singular term lekha rather than the plural lakhem. Another matter: “When you are in distress” – Rabbi Yoḥanan himself said: Any distress in which Israel and the idolaters are partners is distress, and any distress that is of Israel themselves is not distress. Rabbi Yoḥanan expounded: Like their distress in Shushan the citadel, which was confined to Israel, as it is stated: “Great mourning for the Jews” (Esther 4:3).

The Holy One blessed be He immediately caused their salvation to develop. From where is this derived? “For the Jews there was light and joy” (Esther 8:16).

Another matter: Rabbi Elazar said: When Israel was redeemed from Egypt, they were redeemed only due to these five matters: Due to distress, due to repentance, due to the merit of the patriarchs, due to mercy, and due to the end.46According to this view, God had decreed that Abraham’s descendants would be “strangers in a land that is not theirs…four hundred years” (Genesis 15:13), and that this period began from the birth of Isaac.

Therefore, once that time period ended, it was time for Israel to be redeemed (Etz Yosef). Due to distress, as it is written: “The children of Israel sighed” (Exodus 2:23). Due to repentance, as it is written: “Their plea rose to God” (Exodus 2:23).47The fact that their pleas rose to God and were accepted indicates that they had repented. Alternatively, see Etz Yosef based on the Jerusalem Talmud.

Due to the merit of the patriarchs, as it is written: “God remembered His covenant [with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob]” (Exodus 2:24). Due to mercy, as it is written: “God saw the children of Israel” (Exodus 2:25).48He saw their plight and had mercy on them. And due to the end, as it is written: “And God knew” (Exodus 2:25).49He knew that the time had come to fulfill His promise to Abraham (see Shemot Rabba 1:36).

In the future, too, they will be redeemed only due to those five matters: Due to distress, as it is written: “When you are in distress” – that is due to distress. “You will return to the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 4:30) – that is due to repentance. “As the Lord your God is a merciful God” (Deuteronomy 4:31) – that is due to mercy. “Nor forget the covenant of your fathers” (Deuteronomy 4:31) – that is due to the merit of the patriarchs.

“And all these matters befall you by the end of days” (Deuteronomy 4:30) – this is due to the end. David articulated them: “He saw their distress” (Psalms 106:44) – that is due to distress. “When He heard their cry” (Psalms 106:44) – that is due to repentance. “He remembered His covenant for them” (Psalms 106:45) – that is due to the merit of the patriarchs.

“He caused them to receive mercy” (Psalms 106:46) – that is due to mercy. “Save us, Lord our God, and gather us in and save us from the nations” (I Chronicles 16:35)50See also Psalms 106:47. – this is due to the end.

Another matter: “You will return to the Lord your God” – there is nothing greater than repentance. There was incident where our Rabbis, Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Yehoshua, and Rabban Gamliel, were in Rome. The Emperor’s ministers issued an edict, saying: Within thirty days there will not be a Jew in the entire world.51This decree, which was not announced to the public, was set to take effect in thirty days.

One of the ministers of the king feared Heaven. He came to Rabban Gamliel and revealed the matter to him. The Rabbis were very upset. That one who feared Heaven said to them: ‘Do not be upset.

Within thirty days, the God of the Jews will stand with them.’ After twenty-five days, he revealed the matter to his wife. She said to him: ‘Twenty-five days have passed.’ He said to her: ‘Five more days.’

His wife was more righteous than he. She said to him: ‘Do you not have a ring?52The ministers wore rings with a hollow containing poison (see Matnot Kehuna). Suck on it and die. The ministers’ [meetings] will be suspended for thirty more days in your [honor], and the edict will be annulled.’53The Romans had a policy that if one of the ministers died, their meetings would be suspended for thirty days, and any edicts that had been decreed but not yet put into effect would be cancelled (Etz Yosef).

He heeded her, sucked his ring, and died. Our Rabbis heard and went to his wife to console her. Our Rabbis said: ‘Pity for a ship that set sail and did not remit the tariff’; in other words, this righteous man was not circumcised. His wife said to them: ‘I know what you are saying, but, as you live, the ship did not pass before it remitted its tariff.’

She immediately entered an inner room and brought out to them a box containing the foreskin with blood-soaked rags placed upon it. Our Rabbis read this verse in his regard: “Ministers of the peoples have assembled, the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; He is greatly exalted” (Psalms 47:10). What is “shields of the earth”?

The Holy One blessed be He said to Abraham: ‘I have become a powerful shield,’ as it is stated: “I am a shield for you” (Genesis 15:1) – for this one, I will become many shields.54The Rabbis said this as though from God’s perspective, about the deceased minister, thereby comparing him favorably to Abraham. How so? The Holy One blessed be He said to Abraham: “I will render you a great nation and I will bless you and I will render your name great” (Genesis 12:2), and then he circumcised himself, but to this one I promised nothing.

What is, “he is greatly exalted”? He is more greatly exalted than Abraham. Another matter: “You will return to the Lord your God” – Rabbi Shmuel Peragrita said in the name of Rabbi Meir: To what is the matter comparable? It is to a king’s son who took to evil ways, and the king would send his tutor after him and say to him:55The tutor would speak to the prince on behalf of the king. ‘Repent, my son.’

The son would send him, and said to his father: ‘How can I have the audacity to return? I am ashamed before you.’ His father would send [the tutor] and [have him] say to [his son]: ‘My son, is there a son who is ashamed to return to his father? If you return, will you not be returning to your father?’

So, the Holy One blessed be He sent Jeremiah to Israel when they sinned, and He said to him: ‘Go and say to My children: Repent.’ From where is this derived? As it is stated: “Go, and proclaim these matters…[repent, deviant Israel]” (Jeremiah 3:12). Israel would say to Jeremiah: ‘How can we have the audacity to return to the Holy One blessed be He?’

From where is this derived? As it is stated: “We will lie in our shame, and our humiliation will cover us, [as we have sinned to the Lord our God]” (Jeremiah 3:25). The Holy One blessed be He would send [Jeremiah] and say [to Israel]: ‘If you repent, will you not be returning to your Father?’ From where is this derived?

“For I have been a Father to Israel…” (Jeremiah 31:8). Rabbi Azarya said: The Holy One blessed be He said to Jeremiah: ‘Go and say to Israel: As you live, I am not renouncing you. You said to Me at Sinai: “My innards yearn for Him” (Song of Songs 5:4); this is what I too say to you.’ From where is this derived? As it is stated: “Is Ephraim a dear son to Me…[My innards yearn for him]” (Jeremiah 31:19).

“You shall know this day and restore to your heart that the Lord, He is the God in Heaven above and upon earth below; there is no other” (Deuteronomy 4:39) “Then, Moses designated three cities beyond the Jordan toward the rising sun” (Deuteronomy 4:41). “Then, Moses designated” – halakha: Regarding how many matters was Adam the first man commanded? So the Sages taught: Adam the first man was commanded regarding six matters: Regarding idol worship, regarding profaning the Name, regarding judges, regarding bloodshed, regarding illicit relations, and regarding robbery.

Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] said: All of them are [alluded to] in one verse, as it is stated: “The Lord God commanded the man, [saying: From every tree of the garden you may eat]” (Genesis 2:16). “Commanded [vaytzav]” – this is idol worship, as it is stated: “[Ephraim is exploited…] because he willingly followed an order [tzav]” (Hosea 5:11).56Ephraim followed the orders of the prophets of idols, or Yerovam, and they worshipped idols.

“The Lord” – this is profaning the Name, as it is stated: “And one who blasphemes the name of the Lord [shall be put to death]” (Leviticus 24:16). “God [Elohim]” – this is the judges, as it is stated: “The statement of both parties shall come to the judges [elohim]” (Exodus 22:8). “The man” – this is bloodshed, as it is stated: “One who sheds the blood of man, [by man shall his blood be shed]” (Genesis 9:6).

“Saying” – these are illicit relations, as it is stated: “Saying, behold, if a man sent his wife away…[but you acted licentiously]” (Jeremiah 3:1). “From every tree of the garden you may eat” – but not from what has been obtained through robbery57Adam was permitted to eat only from the trees of the Garden, implying that if he were to eat from anything else, that would be considered stealing (Maharzu). – [God thereby] commanded him regarding robbery.

For all of them there is forgiveness, except for bloodshed, as it is stated: “One who sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed.” Rabbi Levi said: But there are many men who killed, and died in their beds. They answered him: What is “by man shall his blood be shed”? When all people will come [back to life] in the future, at that time, his blood will be shed.

They said: There was an incident involving two brothers, one of whom killed the other. What did their mother do? She took a cup and filled it with [her son’s] blood and placed it in a tower. She would enter each day and find that blood effervescent.

One time, she entered, looked at it, and found that it had settled. At that moment, she knew that her other son had been killed, to realize what is stated: “One who sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed” (Genesis 9:6).

58These sections are printed together in the Vilna edition of Midrash Rabba. “Then, Moses designated” – this is what the verse said: “One who loves silver will never be satisfied with silver [nor one who loves abundance with produce]” (Ecclesiastes 5:9). Do we not know that a person never satisfies himself? What is “with silver”?

The Rabbis say: These are Torah scholars who love matters of Torah, which were compared to silver, as it is stated: “The acquisition of understanding is choicer than silver” (Proverbs 16:16). Rav Naḥman said: One who loves Torah is never satisfied with Torah. What is “nor one who loves abundance with produce”? One who avidly longs for Torah, “nor…with produce” – but he does not produce students – “this, too, is futility” (Ecclesiastes 5:9).

Rav Aḥa said: One who studies Torah and does not teach, he has no futility greater than that. Another matter: “One who loves silver” (Ecclesiastes 5:9) – Rabbi Yitzḥak said: One who loves mitzvot is never satisfied with mitzvot. How so? You find two greats of the world, David and Moses, who were not satisfied.

David, although the Holy One blessed be He said to him: “However, you will not build this House for Me” (see II Chronicles 6:9), David would say to himself: Just because the Holy One blessed be He said to me: “You will not build the House,” will I sit idle? What did he do? He hurried himself and prepared all its needs before he died.59He prepared the materials for the construction of the Temple. From where is this derived?

As it is stated: “Behold, in my affliction, I have prepared for the House of my Lord [one hundred thousand talents of gold, and one million talents of silver…]” (see I Chronicles 22:14). Likewise, Moses, although the Holy One blessed be He said to him: “As you will not cross this Jordan” (Deuteronomy 3:27), Moses said: Will I pass from the world and not designate cities of refuge? Immediately, “then Moses designated.”

What is written prior to the matter? “You shall know this day, and restore to your heart” (Deuteronomy 4:39) – Rabbi Meir said: The Holy One blessed be He said: You and your heart know the actions that you performed, and that the suffering that I brought upon you did not correspond to [the severity of] your actions. Another matter: “That the Lord, He is the God” – the Rabbis said: Yitro ascribed substance to idol worship, as it is stated: “Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods” (Exodus 18:11).60The implication of this statement is that there are other gods (Etz Yosef).

Naaman partially acknowledged, as it is stated: “Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel” (II Kings 5:15).61Naaman acknowledged that there are no other gods on earth, but did not specify that there are no other gods in Heaven (Etz Yosef). Raḥav placed Him in Heaven and on earth,62She acknowledged that there is only one God in Heaven and on earth. as it is stated: “Because the Lord your God, He is God in Heaven above and on earth below” (Joshua 2:11).

Moses placed Him even in the empty space of the world, as it is stated: “That the Lord, He is the God in Heaven above and upon earth below; there is no other.” What is, “there is no other”? Even in the empty space of the world. Rabbi Hoshaya said: The Holy One blessed be He said: “Give her from the fruit of her hands” (Proverbs 31:31) – you [Moses] attested in My regard: “There is no other”; I too attest in your regard: “There has not risen another prophet in Israel like Moses” (Deuteronomy 34:10).

What is written? “So that it will be good for you, and you will extend your days” (Deuteronomy 22:7). Israel said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, is this extended days? A person kills a person unwittingly, the blood redeemer pursues him to kill him, and everyone dies before his time.’

The Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: ‘As you live, they are speaking correctly. Go and designate cities of refuge for them,’ as it is stated: “Then, Moses designated.”

What did Moses see that led him to devote himself to [designating] the cities of refuge? Rabbi Levi said: One who ate the dish knows its taste. How so? When Moses killed the Egyptian, he went out on the second day and found Datan and Aviram quarreling with one another, as it is stated: “He emerged on the second day, [and behold, two Hebrew men were fighting, and he said to the wicked one: Why do you strike your neighbor?]” (Exodus 2:13).

Rabbi Aivu said: This [wicked one] was Datan. [Datan] began demeaning him: “Do you propose to kill me?” (Exodus 2:14). When Pharaoh heard this, he said: ‘How many things have I heard and been silent. Now that he has arrived at bloodshed, apprehend him.’ How did he flee from Pharaoh, as it is written: “Moses fled from Pharaoh” (Exodus 2:15)?

Rabbi Yannai said: The executioner came to place the sword on his neck; the sword was blunted on his neck, which turned into marble. Solomon lauded him: “Your neck is like an ivory tower” (Song of Songs 7:5). Rabbi Evyatar said: Moreover, the sword caromed off his neck and it turned onto the executioner. From where is this derived?

As it is stated: “He delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh” (Exodus 18:4) – Moses said: The Holy One blessed be He delivered me but not the executioner. Bar Kappara said: An angel descended in Moses’s image and facilitated his flight. They thought the angel was Moses. Rabbi Yehoshua said: See the miracles that the Holy One blessed be He performed on behalf of Moses: All of Pharaoh’s scholars, some of them became mute, some of them became deaf, some of them became blind, and Moses fled and they did not see him.

Know that when the Holy One blessed be He sought to send him on a mission, he began hesitating. The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Do you not recall what I did to Pharaoh’s scholars,’ as it is stated: “The Lord said to him: Who gives a mouth to a person, [or who renders one mute, or deaf, or sighted, or blind]” (Exodus 4:11)? ‘At that time I stood with you, and now, will I not stand with you?’

Rabbi Yitzḥak said: Come and see that the actions of the Holy One blessed be He are not like the actions of mortal man. The way of the world is that mortal man procures himself a patron who protects him. If he is apprehended and placed on trial, [his friends] go and find his patron and say to him: ‘A member of your household has been apprehended.’ He says to them: ‘I will protect him.’

But if he is taken out to be executed, where is he and where is his patron? But the Holy One blessed be He is not so. The ministering angels said to Him: ‘A member of your household, Moses, has been apprehended.’ He said to them: ‘I will protect him.’

They said to Him: ‘He is standing before Pharaoh; his sentence is being read; he is being taken out for execution.’ He said to them: ‘I will protect him.’ He was taken out for execution, and the Holy One blessed be He delivered him. From where is this derived?

As it is stated: “He delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh” (Exodus 18:4). Another matter: A person who has a patron and he is apprehended in his sin and cast to a place of beasts – where is he and where is his patron? Daniel was cast into the lions’ den, and the Holy One blessed be He delivered him. From where is this derived?

As it is stated: “My God sent His angel, and he shut the lions’ mouths” (Daniel 6:23). Another matter: If a person procures himself a patron and performs a sin, and the judge decrees upon him that he is to be burned, where is he and where is his patron? But the Holy One blessed be He is not so. The ministering angels said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘A member of Your household, Abraham, was apprehended.’

He said to them: ‘I will protect him.’ They said to Him: ‘He is standing before Amrafel, his sentence is being read, and he is about to be burned.’ He said to them: ‘I will protect him.’ [Abraham] was cast into the fiery furnace, and the Holy One blessed be He descended and delivered him. From where is this derived?

As it is stated: “He said to him: I am the Lord, who took you out of Ur of the Chaldeans” (Genesis 15:7).63The word Ur can also be translated “fire,” as in Isaiah 47:14. Another matter: If a person procures himself a patron and he is apprehended in his sin, and the judge decrees upon him that he is to be cast into the sea, where is he and where is his patron? But the Holy One blessed be He is not so.

Jonah was cast into the sea, and the Holy One blessed be He delivered him. From where is this derived? As it is stated: “The Lord spoke to the fish, and it spewed Jonah [upon the dry land]” (Jonah 2:11). Another matter: “Then Moses designated” – Rabbi Aivu said: When Moses fled, he began to sing a song [of praise], as it is stated: “And he settled in the land of Midian, and he sat at the well” (Exodus 2:15).

Just as Israel sang a song at the well,64See Numbers 21:17. so Moses sang a song at the well. Rabbi Levi said: [He sang] because the portion of the murderer in the city of refuge took effect through him.65The portion begins: “Then [az] Moses designated,” indicating that he sang, just as the song at the sea begins: “Then [az] Moses and the children of Israel sang” (Exodus 15:1). The reason he sang is that he himself had been rescued after having killed someone.

“Then, Moses designated three cities beyond the Jordan toward the rising sun” – what is “toward the rising sun”? Rabbi Yosei ben Rabbi Ḥanina said: The Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: ‘Cause the sun to shine for the murderer and give him refuge where he can be exiled, so that he will not be eradicated due to the iniquity of murder, just as the sun illuminates the world.’66Just as the sun brings light to the world and rises each day even after having set the previous day, the unintentional murderer will have hope for a new life.

“For the murderer to flee there, who kills his neighbor unintentionally and he did not hate him previously; he shall flee to one of these cities and live” (Deuteronomy 4:42). Another matter: “For the murderer to flee there” – the Rabbis said: To what is the matter comparable? To a craftsman who was crafting a statue of the king. As he was crafting it, it broke in his hands.

The king said: ‘Had he done so intentionally, he would be killed. Now that he broke it unintentionally, he shall be exiled and sentenced to hard labor.’ So, the Holy One blessed be He decreed: “One who sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed” (Genesis 9:6). But one who kills another unwittingly, unintentionally, will be exiled from his place, as it is stated: “He shall flee to one of these cities and live.”

The Holy One blessed be He said: In this world, because the evil inclination is there, [people] kill one another and die.67The Sages state that an unintentional killing may occur when one individual committed murder and was not prosecuted, and another killed unintentionally and was not forced into exile. God will arrange for the second individual to unintentionally kill the first, and have to go into exile, such that both suffer the appropriate consequences (Makkot 10b).

But in the future, I will uproot the evil inclination from you, and there will be no death in the world – “He will eliminate death forever” (Isaiah 25:308).

“Hear, Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4) – halakha: If a person of Israel recited Keriat Shema but was not precise in enunciating its letters, has he fulfilled his obligation? So taught the Sages: If one recited [Shema] and was not precise in his enunciation of its letters, Rabbi Yosei says: He fulfilled his obligation. Rabbi Yehuda says: He did not fulfill his obligation.

What is precise enunciation of the letters? Our Rabbis taught us: “Bekhol levavkhem” (Deuteronomy 11:13) – one must separate between one lamed and the other lamed.68Since one word ends with a lamed and the next word begins with a lamed, one must be careful to separate them so that they will not sound like one word. “Vaavadtem mehera” (Deuteronomy 11:17) – one must separate between one mem and the other mem.

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: If one is reciting Shema and walking, he must stand still while accepting the kingdom of Heaven. What is [the acceptance of] the kingdom of Heaven? “The Lord is our God, the Lord is one.” From when did Israel merit to recite Shema?

Rabbi Pinḥas bar Ḥama said: Israel merited to recite Shema from the giving of the Torah. How so? You find that the Holy One blessed be He began [to speak] at Sinai only with this matter. He said to them: “Hear Israel” (Deuteronomy 6:4), “I am the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:2).69The expression “hear Israel” does not appear in the passage of the giving of the Torah, but it is derived from the verses in Psalms that relate this event, where it states: “Hear, My people.… I am the Lord your God” (Psalms 81:9–11).

All of them answered and said: “The Lord is our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4). Moses said: Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever. The Rabbis say: The Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: My children, everything that I created, I created in pairs. The heavens and the earth are a pair; the sun and moon are a pair; Adam and Eve are a pair; this world and the World to Come are a pair.

But My glory is singular and unique in the world. From where is this derived? From what we read regarding this matter: “Hear, Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord is one.”

Another matter: “Hear Israel” (Deuteronomy 6:4) – this is what the verse said: “Whom else do I have in heaven? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth” (Psalms 73:25). Rav said: There are two firmaments: The heavens and the heavens of the heavens. Rabbi Elazar said: There are seven firmaments: The heavens, the heavens of heavens, Rakia, Sheĥakim, Maon, Zevul, Arafel.

The Holy One blessed be He opened them all for Israel, to inform them that there is no God other than He. The Assembly of Israel said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, who do I have in Heaven other than [You, in] Your glory? Just as I have no one in heaven other than You, so I have not desired another [god] on earth; just as I have not associated any other god with You in Heaven, so I did not associate any other god with You on earth.

Rather, each day I enter synagogues and attest that there is no god other than You, and I say: “Hear, Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord is one”’ (Deuteronomy 6:4).

Another matter: “Hear Israel” (Deuteronomy 6:4) – this is what the verse said: “Fear the Lord, my son, and the king…” (Proverbs 24:21). What is “and the king”? Abraham, who feared Me, did I not crown him king over the world, as it is stated: “To the valley of Shaveh, which is the valley of the king” (Genesis 14:17). Joseph, who feared Me, as it is written: “I fear God” (Genesis 42:18), did I not crown him king over the world?

“Joseph was the ruler over the land” (Genesis 42:6).70Thus, the midrash understands the verse to mean “fear the Lord…and you will be a king.” Another matter: “Fear the Lord, my son, and the king [vamelekh]” (Proverbs 24:21) – and rule [umlokh] over your inclination. There was an incident involving Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar who went to a certain city in the South, and he entered a synagogue and asked a scribe; he said to him: ‘As you live, is there wine for sale here?’

He said to him: ‘Rabbi, this city is [inhabited by] Samaritans, and they do not prepare wine in ritual purity in the way that my ancestors would prepare it.’ [Rabbi Shimon] said: ‘If you have any extra [wine] of your own, give it to me, and I will purchase it from you.’71Rabbi Shimon did not believe the scribe’s claim that the wine in town was not ritually pure, and he offered to buy any wine that the scribe had (Matnot Kehuna; cf. Etz Yosef).

He said: ‘If you are master of your desires do not taste it.’ Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar said: ‘I am the master of my desires.’ That is, “and the king [vamelekh]” – rule [umlokh] over your inclination. Another matter: “Fear the Lord, my son, and the king [vamelekh]” (Proverbs 24:21) – what is vamelekh?

But not Molekh [ve’al lamolekh], as it is stated: “You shall not give of your offspring to pass to Molekh” (Leviticus 18:21). Alternatively, what is vamelekh? Crown Him King [hamlikhehu] over you. “Do not mix with those who are different [shonim]” (Proverbs 24:21) – do not mix with those who say there is a second [sheni] god.

Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon said: “It will be in all the land, the utterance of the Lord, that two portions [pi] of it will be eliminated and expire” (Zechariah 13:8) – the mouths [piyot] that say that they are two authorities will be eliminated and expire. Who is destined to survive? “And the third will remain in it” (Zechariah 13:8) – this is Israel, who are called “threes” because they are tripartite – priests, Levites, and Israelites; and they are from three patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Alternatively, because they laud the Holy One blessed be He with three sanctifications: “Holy, holy, holy” (Isaiah 6:3). Rav Aḥa said: The Holy One blessed be He became angry at Solomon when he said this verse.72The verse in Proverbs (24:21) cited above. He said to him: Is it proper to express a matter of sanctity with an obscure expression: “Do not mix with those who are different”? He73Solomon, who wrote Ecclesiastes after having written Proverbs (see Shir HaShirim Rabba 1:1:10). immediately came and stated the matter explicitly: “There is one and no other, without even a son or a brother” (Ecclesiastes 4:8) – [God] has no brother or son; rather, “hear, Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4).

Rabbi Yitzchak opened: "The LORD is my portion, says my soul; therefore I will hope in Him" (Lamentations 3:24). Rabbi Yitzchak said: To what may the matter be compared? To a king who entered a province, and there entered with him dukes, governors, and generals. There were some of the people of the province who chose for themselves a duke to be appointed over them, and there were some of them who chose for themselves a governor, and there were some of them who chose for themselves a general. One who was clever said: I will choose none but the king. Why? Because all of these are replaceable, but the king is not replaceable. So too, when the Holy One, blessed be He, came down upon Sinai, there came down with Him companies upon companies of angels: Michael and his company, Gabriel and his company. There were some of the nations of the world who chose for themselves Michael, and there were some of them who chose for themselves Gabriel; but Israel chose for themselves the Holy One, blessed be He. They said, "The LORD is my portion, says my soul." This is, "Hear, O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is One" (Deuteronomy 6:4).

Rabbi Yitzḥak began: “The Lord is my portion, says my soul; therefore I will await Him” (Lamentations 3:24) – Rabbi Yitzḥak said: To what is the matter comparable? To a king who entered a province, and generals, rulers, and governors entered with him. Some of the residents of the province selected a general who would protect them;74They decided to support the general and establish a relationship with him, so that he would protect them. some of them selected a ruler; and some of them selected a governor.

One who was clever said: ‘I am choosing only the king. Why? Because all of them can be replaced, but the king cannot be replaced.’ So, when the Holy One blessed be He descended to Sinai, many groups of angels descended with Him – Mikhael and his group, Gavriel and his group.

Some of the nations selected Mikhael, and some of them selected Gavriel, but Israel chose the Holy One blessed be He. They said: “The Lord is my portion, says my soul”; that is, “hear, Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4).

Another matter: “Hear, Israel” (Deuteronomy 6:4) – from when did Israel merit to recite Shema? It was from the time when Jacob was about to die. He summoned all the tribes75Jacob’s sons, the progenitors of the tribes. and said to them: ‘Will you perhaps prostrate yourselves to another god after I pass from the world?’ From where is this derived?

For so it is written: “Assemble and hear, sons of Jacob [and heed Israel your father]” (Genesis 49:2). What is “and heed Israel [el Yisrael] your father”? He said to them: ‘The God of Israel [El Yisrael] is your Father.’ They said to him: “Hear, Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4), and he said in a whisper: ‘Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever.’

Rabbi Levi said: What does Israel say now? ‘Hear, our father Israel; the same matter that you commanded us, we continue to observe: “The Lord is our God, the Lord is one.”’

Another matter: “Hear, Israel” (Deuteronomy 6:4) – the Rabbis said: When Moses ascended on high, he heard the ministering angels, who were saying to the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever,’ and he took it down to Israel. Why does Israel not recite it for all to hear?76It is customary to recite this sentence in a whisper after reciting the verse: “Hear, Israel…” Rabbi Asi said: To what is the matter comparable? To one who stole jewelry from a king’s palace. He gave it to his wife and said to her: ‘Do not adorn yourself with these in public, but only in the house.’ But on Yom Kippur, when they are as pure as ministering angels, they recite it for all to hear: Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5). What is “with all your heart, with all your soul” – with each and every soul that He created for you.77Every aspect of the soul, represented by the five names mentioned below (Etz Yosef). Alternatively, with all of a person’s inclinations and energy (see Maharzu). Rabbi Meir said: For each and every breath that a person takes, he is obligated to laud his Creator.

From where is this derived? As it is stated: “Let everyone who breathes praise the Lord” (Psalms 150:6).78Rabbi Meir interprets the phrase “everyone who breathes [kol haneshama]” to mean “for every breath [kol neshima].” Rabbi Simon said: The soul is called the following five names: Ruaḥ, nefesh, neshama, ḥaya, yeḥida. The Rabbis say: Come and see that the Holy One blessed be He fills His world, and [a person’s] soul fills his body.

The Holy One blessed be He bears His world, and the soul bears the body. The Holy One blessed be He is One in His world, and the soul is one in the body. The Holy One blessed be He does not sleep, and the soul does not sleep. The Holy One blessed be He is the pure One in His world, and the soul is the pure one in the body.

The Holy One blessed be He sees but is not seen, and the soul sees but it is not seen. Let the soul that sees but is not seen come and laud the Holy One blessed be He, who sees but is not seen. Israel said: ‘Master of the universe, this soul that lauds you, until when will it be placed in the dust79Until when will the soul have to endure the physical body; alternatively, until when will the soul be held back from achieving its potential due to the hardships of life (see Etz Yosef; Anaf Yosef). [as it is written:] “Our soul is stooped in the dust”’ (Psalms 44:26)?

The Holy One blessed be He said to them: As you live, the End will come, and your souls will rejoice. That is why Isaiah comforts them and says: “I will be gladdened in the Lord; my soul will exult in my God” (Isaiah 61:10). Rabbi Berekhya said: In ten places the Holy One blessed be He called Israel “bride.”80The midrash here proceeds to list only nine such instances, but elsewhere (Shir HaShirim Rabba 4:8:3) it lists the tenth: “A locked garden is my sister, my bride” (Song of Songs 4:12), which should be included here as well.

They are: “With Me from Lebanon, My bride” (Song of Songs 4:8); “I came to My garden, My sister, My bride” (Song of Songs 5:1); “you have charmed Me, My sister, My bride” (Song of Songs 4:9); “how fair is your loving, My sister, My bride” (Song of Songs 4:10); “your lips drip nectar, My bride” (Song of Songs 4:11); “like the gladness of a groom with a bride” (see Isaiah 62:5); “the sound of a groom and the sound of a bride” (Jeremiah 33:11); “that you will don all of them like jewelry and you will tie them like a bride” (Isaiah 49:18); “and like a bride who bedecks herself with her ornaments” (Isaiah 61:10).

Corresponding to them, Israel adorns the Holy One blessed be He with ten garments [levushin].81The reference is to ten instances in which Israel praises God with metaphors involving forms of the word garments [levushin]. They are: “I donned [lavashti] righteousness, and it clothed me [vayilbasheni]”; “like a robe and a mitre was my justice” (Job 29:14) – these make two. “He donned [vayilbash] righteousness like armor” (Isaiah 59:17); “He donned [vayilbash] garments of vengeance as His costume [tilboshet]” (Isaiah 59:17) – these make five.

“His garment was like white snow” (Daniel 7:9); “why is there red on your garment” (Isaiah 63:2); “The Lord reigns; He is clothed [lavesh] in grandeur. The Lord is clothed [lavesh], girded with strength” (Psalms 93:1); “You are clothed [lavashta] in splendor and glory” (Psalms 104:1) – these make ten. Another matter: “I will be gladdened in the Lord” (Isaiah 61:10) – to what is the matter comparable?

It is to a woman whose husband, son, and son-in-law went to a country overseas…, as it is written in the Pesikta82The midrash here does not provide the full account of this analogy, but it is provided in Pesikta deRav Kahana 22:3 and Shir HaShirim Rabba 1:4:8. until: “I will be gladdened.”

Another idea: "Hear O Israel" The rabbis said: When Moshe went up to the heavens, he heard the ministering angels saying to the Holy Blessed One, "Blessed is the name of the glory of God's sovereignty for all time" and brought it down to Israel. And why doesn't Israel say it in public (aloud)? Rabbi Asi said: To what is it similar? To one who stole jewelry from the King's palace and gave it to his wife and said to her, "Don't adorn yourself with it in public, rather (wear it) in your house." However, on Yom Kippur when they are as clean as the ministering angels, they say it publicly, "Blessed is the name of the glory of God's sovereignty for all time."

“It will be, because you heed these ordinances, and observe and perform them, that the Lord your God will maintain for you the covenant and the kindness regarding which He took an oath to your forefathers” (Deuteronomy 7:12). Halakha: If a person of Israel has a candelabrum made of separate pieces, may one carry it on Shabbat? So taught the Sages: One who assembles the branches of a candelabrum on Shabbat incurs liability to bring a sin offering.

For what is he liable? Rabbi Abbahu said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: One who assembles the candelabrum on Shabbat is like one who builds on Shabbat, and one who builds on Shabbat is liable. Rabbi Yosei ben Rabbi Ḥanina said: When did Israel observe Shabbat properly? When it was first given to them in Alush.

From where is this derived? As it is stated: “The people rested on the seventh day” (Exodus 16:30). [God said:] ‘Do you perhaps think that I gave you Shabbat to your detriment? I gave it only for your benefit.’ How so?

Rabbi Ḥiyya ben Rabbi Abba said: [God said:] ‘You sanctify the Shabbat with food, drink, and clean garments, and bring pleasure to your soul, and I will give you reward.’ From where is this derived? “And you call Shabbat a delight…” (Isaiah 58:13). What is written thereafter?

“Then you will delight in the Lord” (Isaiah 58:14). “[Delight in the Lord], and He will grant you the desires of your heart” (Psalms 37:4). Israel said to Him: ‘When will you give us the reward for the mitzvot that we perform?’ The Holy One blessed be He said to them: ‘The mitzvot that you perform, their fruits you consume now, but their reward I will give you at the end [be’ekev].’1The word ekev literally means heel.

Just as the heel is the end of the body, the word ekev in this context implies the end of time (Etz Yosef). From where is this derived? From what we read in our verse: “It will be, because [ekev] you heed.”

Another matter, “it will be, because [ekev]” – this is what the verse said: “Gilad is mine, Manasseh is mine” (Psalms 60:9). What is Gilad? Reish Lakish said…they were from the sons of Judah.2The midrash alludes to Reish Lakish’s explanation of the verse without citing it in full. The full version is found in Bemidbar Rabba 14:1.

Another matter, “Moav is my washbasin” (Psalms 60:10) – Rabbi Shimon ben Ḥalafta said: The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘I will place a cauldron of punishment on the fire for Moav.’ What is, “I will cast my shoe on Edom”? (Psalms 60:10). The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘When everything is prepared for repentance, I will stomp Edom’s winepress with the heel [baakev] of my foot.’ When will “it be, ekev”?

It will be when “you heed.” The Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: ‘My children, do not believe that I am treating you like a slave whose master seeks to sell him [because he is] deficient, for whatever [price] he can fetch. Rather, I will bring suffering upon you until you prepare your heart [to return] to Me.’ Rav Aḥa said: The Holy One blessed be He took an oath that He would never forsake Israel.

From where is this derived? As it is stated: “Therefore [lakhen], so I will do to you, Israel” (Amos 4:12), and lakhen is nothing other than an oath, like the matter that is stated: “Therefore [velakhen], I have taken an oath to the sons of Eli” (I Samuel 3:14). Until when will I afflict you? Until the end [haakev]. “Because [ekev] I will do this to you” (Amos 4:12) – until you observe My mitzvot completely [ad haakev].

Another matter, what is written above? “You shall know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God” (Deuteronomy 7:9) – Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said: To what is the matter comparable? To the friend of a king who entrusted a deposit to the hands [of the king]. The friend of the king died, and his son came and requested the deposit from [the king].

He said to him: ‘Give me the deposit that my father entrusted with you.’ The king said to him: ‘Have you found another better than I? Have I not guarded the deposit that is with me, and have I not folded it?’3It was expected that one who was guarding another’s garment or fabric would occasionally air it out and refold it. So, when Israel sinned in the days of Jeremiah, the Holy One blessed be He said to Jeremiah: ‘Go and say to Israel: “What injustice did your fathers find in Me?” (Jeremiah 2:5).

I took an oath to them that I will bless their descendants, as it is stated: “For I will bless you….” (Genesis 22:17). Did I not bless you by means of Moses, as it is stated: “The Lord your God has multiplied you”? (Deuteronomy 1:10). I said to him that I would take them out with great wealth, as it is stated: “Then they will emerge with great wealth” (Genesis 15:14). Did I not do so?’ – “He brought them out with silver and gold; none among His tribes faltered” (Psalms 105:37).

That is why Moses said: “And from His observance of the oath” (Deuteronomy 7:8), “He redeemed you from the house of bondage” (Deuteronomy 7:8); you know that He is the faithful God. Another matter, “That the Lord your God, He is God” (Deuteronomy 7:9) – Rabbi Levi said: To what is the matter comparable? To the friend of a king…his son came and requested the deposit from him. The king said to him: ‘Go bring two military commanders and twelve advisers, and through them I will give you the deposit.’

So the Holy One blessed be He said when Israel departed from Egypt: ‘Your ancestors entrusted Me with a deposit [pikadon].’4The deposit was the seventy descendants of Jacob who descended to Egypt. From where is this derived? As it is stated: “I have remembered [pakod pakadeti] you” (Exodus 3:16). He said to them: ‘Let two commanders and twelve advisers come’ – these are Moses and Aaron and the twelve heads of the tribes.

From where is this derived? As it is stated: “You shall count [tifkedu] them according to their hosts, you and Aaron…. And with you shall be a man for each tribe” (Numbers 1:3–4). Another matter, “the faithful God” – from the faithfulness of mortal man you can know the faithfulness of the Holy One blessed be He.

There was an incident involving Rabbi Pinḥas ben Yair who was residing in a certain city in the South. People went there to earn a living. They had two se’a of barley and they deposited it with him, forgot about it, and left. Rabbi Pinḥas ben Yair would sow them every year, place them in a grain pile and gather them.

Seven years later, those same friends went there, to demand that he give it to them. Rabbi Pinḥas ben Yair recognized them immediately and said to them: ‘Come and take your storehouses.’ That is, from the faithfulness of mortal man you can know the faithfulness of the Holy One blessed be He. There was another incident involving Rabbi Pinḥas ben Yair, who went to a certain city, and the mice were devouring [everything] within the boundaries of that city.

They came and asked his help. What did Rabbi Pinḥas ben Yair do? He said to them: ‘Why do you not separate your tithes properly? Are you asking me to guarantee you that if you separate your tithes properly the mice will devour no more?’

They said to him: ‘Yes.’ He guaranteed them, and the mice departed and were not seen again. Another matter, there was an incident involving a certain man who would dig water channels for the public. His daughter was walking on her way and came to cross a river, and it swept her away.

They came and said to Rabbi Pinḥas: ‘This happened to the daughter of so-and-so.’ He said to them: ‘It is impossible; since he performed the will of the Holy One blessed be He concerning water, the Holy One blessed be He would not eliminate his daughter by means of water.’ Immediately there was an outcry in the city: ‘The daughter of so-and-so has come!’ Our Rabbis say: When Rabbi Pinḥas ben Yair said this, an angel descended and lifted her [from the water].

There was an incident involving Rabbi Shimon ben Shetaḥ, who purchased a certain donkey from a certain Ishmaelite. His disciples went and found on it a gem suspended from its neck. They said to him: ‘Rabbi, “the blessing of the Lord, it will enrich”’ (Proverbs 10:22). Rabbi Shimon ben Shetaḥ said to them: ‘I purchased a donkey, I did not purchase a gem.’

He went and returned it to that Ishmaelite. That Ishmaelite called out in his regard: ‘Blessed is the Lord, God of Shimon ben Shetaḥ.’ That is, from the faithfulness of mortal man you can know the faithfulness of the Holy One blessed be He, who is faithful to pay Israel reward for the mitzvot they perform. From where is this derived?

“You shall guard the unleavened bread [ushmartem et hamatzot]” (Exodus 12:17).5Many suggest that the reference should not be to the verse “You shall guard the unleavened bread [ushmartem et hamatzot]” but to the verse: “You shall observe the commandment [veshamarta et hamitzva], and the statutes, and the ordinances that I command you today, to perform them” (Deuteronomy 7:11). The implication is that one must perform them today, but the reward is later – “in the end [ekev],” as hinted to in the following verse (Deuteronomy 7:12). But the reward for them: “It will be, because [ekev] you heed” – in the end [be’ekev] I will give you your reward.

Another matter, “the Lord your God will maintain for you.” “Will maintain” – Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: Everything of which Israel partakes in this world is a result of the blessings with which the wicked Bilam blessed them. But the blessings that the patriarchs blessed them are reserved for the future, as it is stated: “The Lord your God will maintain [for you the covenant and the kindness regarding which He took an oath to your forefathers].”

Another matter, Rabbi Ḥelbo said: To what is the matter comparable? To an orphan who was being raised by a homeowner. He would eat, drink, and be clothed from [the homeowner’s] property, and [the homeowner] taught him a trade. The orphan said: ‘Everything that I eat, drink, and wear, he will deduct from my wages.’

The homeowner said to him: ‘As you live, whatever you eat, drink, and wear is due to the barrel of water that you fill for me, due to the wood that you chop for me, but your wages are bound and stored for you.’6Your food, drink, and clothing are due to ancillary acts that you do that are not part of your formal job. Your actual wages will be paid to you in full in the future. So, everything that Israel consumes in this world is due to the suffering that befalls them, but their reward is bound and reserved for the future, as it is stated: “The Lord your God will maintain for you...”

And what is “the covenant and the kindness”? Rabbi Ḥiyya said: Israel has three good attributes, and these are: They are shy, merciful, and perform acts of kindness. From where is it derived that they are shy? As it is stated: “So that His fear will be upon your faces” (Exodus 20:17).

From where is it derived that they are merciful? As it is stated: “He will give you mercy, and He will be merciful to you” (Deuteronomy 13:18).7Given that the verse states separately that “He will be merciful to you,” the phrase “He will give you mercy” is interpreted to mean that God will give Israel the attribute of mercy. From where is it derived that they perform acts of kindness? As it is stated: “The Lord your God will maintain for you the covenant and the kindness [regarding which He took an oath to your forefathers].”8This verse is interpreted to mean that God took an oath to the forefathers due to their kindness; see Genesis 18:19.

“He will love you, bless you, and multiply you; He will bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land, your grain, your wine, and your oil, the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks, in the land regarding which He took an oath to your forefathers to give to you” (Deuteronomy 7:13). “He will love you, bless you, and multiply you” – why does it juxtapose fruit of the womb to fruit of the land?

The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘Just as the fruit of your land is fenced in, so the fruit of your womb are fenced in [sugim].’9They are protected by fences, a metaphor for the Jewish people’s adherence to the laws of family purity, which the Sages connect to the verse “set about [suga] with lilies” (Song of Songs 7:3; see Sanhedrin 37a; Tanḥuma Ki Tisa 2; Matnot Kehuna). Some commentaries give other interpretations (see Etz Yosef; Rabbi David Luria).

Another matter, just as the fruit of the land has neither iniquity nor sin, so the fruit of your womb will have neither sin nor iniquity. Another matter, just as the fruit of the land require tithing, so the fruit of your womb require tithing – that is circumcision. Another matter, Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: Why did it juxtapose fruit of the womb to fruit of the land? So the fruit of the land will atone for the fruit of your womb, as, so it is written: “His land will atone for His people” (Deuteronomy 32:43).

“You will be blessed more than all peoples. There will be none who are sterile or barren among you or among your animals” (Deuteronomy 7:14). “You will be blessed more than all peoples” – Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said: The praise of a noblewoman is not when she is lauded by her relatives, but when she is lauded by her rival wives.10The midrash interprets the verse to mean “you will be blessed by all peoples.”

“There will be none who are sterile or barren” – eunuchs or sexually underdeveloped women. I have derived only regarding people, from where is this derived regarding animals? As it is written: “Or among your animals” – thus [it includes both] people and animals. From where is this derived regarding the land?

As it is written: “None shall miscarry or be barren in your land” (Exodus 23:26)11The midrash interprets this verse as referring to the land itself, indicating that all parts of the land will provide bounty. – thus [it includes] people, animals, and the land. From where is this derived regarding trees? It is as it is written: “The vine will not lose its fruit for you in the field prematurely” (Malachi 3:11).

“There will be none who are sterile or barren” – Rabbi Ḥanin ben Levi said: The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘Your prayer will not be barren, but rather, it will ascend and bear fruit.’ Another matter, Rabbi Yonatan said: “There will be none who are sterile or barren” – from repentance. There was an incident involving Rabbi Yonatan, who was walking near the mountain of the Samaritans.12Mount Gerizim, which was considered sacred by the Samaritans (translation based on Etz Yosef).

He was riding a donkey and the animal driver was with him. A certain Samaritan joined them. When they reached Mount Gerizim, the Samaritan said to Rabbi Yonatan: ‘Rabbi, what is this? For this mountain is sacred.’13What is the significance of our having happened upon this sacred place (Matnot Kehuna).

Elsewhere, the midrash reports that Rabbi Yonatan was traveling to pray in Jerusalem and the Samaritan asked him why he would travel to Jerusalem instead of praying at Mount Gerizim (see Bereshit Rabba 32:10). Rabbi Yonatan said to him: ‘Why is it sacred?’ The Samaritan said to him: ‘Because it was not stricken in the Flood waters.’ He said to him: ‘From where do you derive this?’

He said to him: ‘Is it not written as follows: “Son of man, say to it: You are a land that has not been purified, that has not been rained upon on the day of fury”’ (Ezekiel 22:24).14The Samaritan interpreted the verse as follows: “Is yours a land that is not purified? It was not rained upon on the day of fury,” and he understood it to refer particularly to Mount Gerizim (Etz Yosef). Rabbi Yonatan said to him: ‘If so, the Holy One blessed be He should have told Noah to ascend (there), and not to craft an ark.’

He said to [Rabbi Yonatan]: ‘He did so only to test [Noah].’ Rabbi Yonatan was silent. The animal driver said to [Rabbi Yonatan]: ‘Allow me to say one thing to him.’ He said to him: ‘Speak.’

The animal driver said to him: ‘Is this mountain not beneath the heavens?’ The Samaritan said to him: ‘Where else, beyond the heavens?’ He said to him: ‘Is it not written: “Fifteen cubits upward the water accumulated” (Genesis 7:20), “all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered”?’ (Genesis 7:19). Rabbi Yonatan immediately dismounted the donkey and had [the driver] ride on it for four mil.

He read this verse in his regard: “Any tongue that will rise against you in judgment will be condemned” (Isaiah 54:17).15Anyone who argues against the truth of the Torah will be condemned. This verse had been fulfilled regarding the Samaritan through the donkey driver’s statement. That is, “there will be none who are sterile or barren among you or among your animals.” What is “or among your animals [uvivhemtekha]”? Among your animal drivers [uvabehamin shelkha].

Another matter, “that the Lord your God will maintain for you the covenant and the kindness” (Deuteronomy 7:12) – Rabbi Shimon ben Ḥalafta said: To what is the matter comparable? To a king who married a noblewoman. She brought two gems into the marriage, and the king, too, provided for her two corresponding gems. The noblewoman lost hers, and the king, too, took his.

Sometime later, she arose and applied herself, and she [found and] brought back her two gems. The king, too, brought his. The king said: ‘These and those shall be crafted into a crown and placed on the noblewoman’s head.’ So, you find that Abraham gave his descendants two gems, as it is stated: “For I love him, that he will command his children and his household after him, [and they will observe the way of the Lord, to perform righteousness and justice]” (Genesis 18:19).16The qualities of righteousness and justice are compared here to two gems.

The Holy One blessed be He, too, provided them with two corresponding gems, kindness and mercy, as it is stated: “The Lord your God will maintain for you the covenant and the kindness,” and it says: “He will give you mercy, and He will be merciful to you, and He will multiply you…” (Deuteronomy 13:18). Israel lost theirs: “For you have transformed justice into hemlock and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood” (Amos 6:12).

The Holy One blessed be He took His, as it is stated: “For I have withdrawn My peace…kindness and mercy” (Jeremiah 16:5). Israel arose and applied themselves, and brought back those two gems. From where is this derived? From that which is written: “Zion will be redeemed with justice and its penitents with righteousness” (Isaiah 1:27).

The Holy One blessed be He, too, brought His. From where is this derived? From that which is written: “For the mountains will move and the hills will collapse, [but My kindness will not move from you and the covenant of My peace will not collapse, said the One who has mercy on you, the Lord]” (Isaiah 54:10). Once Israel brings theirs and the Holy One blessed be He gives His, the Holy One blessed be He says: ‘These and those will be crafted into a crown and will be placed on Israel’s head,’ as it is stated: “I will betroth you to Me forever; I will betroth you to Me with righteousness, with justice, with kindness and with mercy. I will betroth you to Me with faithfulness and you will know the Lord” (Hosea 2:21–22).

“Hear, Israel: you are crossing the Jordan today, to come to take possession from nations greater and mightier than you, cities great and fortified to the heavens” (Deuteronomy 9:1). “Hear, Israel: you are crossing the Jordan today” – halakha: A person of Israel who drinks water to [quench] his thirst, recites: ‘Blessed…by whose word all things came to be [shehakol nihya bidevaro].’ Rabbi Tarfon says: [The proper text of the blessing is:] ‘Who creates the many forms of life and their needs [boreh nefashot rabot veḥesronam].’

The Rabbis say: Come and see: All the miracles that the Holy One blessed be He performed on behalf of Israel, He performed only through water.17That is why a blessing is recited on water. How so? When Israel was still in Egypt, He performed miracles for them on the Nile. Rabbi Yitzḥak said: The Egyptians and Israelites would come to drink water from the river [during the plague of blood,] and an Egyptian would drink blood and an Israelite would drink water.

And when Israel departed from Egypt He performed miracles on their behalf only by means of water. From where is this derived? As it is stated: “The sea saw and fled” (Psalms 114:3). What did it see?

Rabbi Nehorai said: It saw the ineffable Name inscribed on the staff, and it split. Rabbi Neḥemya said: As it were, it saw the hand of the Holy One blessed be He, and it split, as it is stated: “The waters saw You and were frightened” (Psalms 77:17). They came to Mara when they ascended from the sea, and the water was bitter. He performed miracles there on their behalf.

From where is this derived? As it is stated: “The Lord showed him a tree [and he cast it into the waters and the waters sweetened]” (Exodus 15:25). At the rock, He performed miracles on their behalf with the water. From where is this derived?

As it is stated: “And speak to the rock…[and it will provide its water]” (Numbers 20:8). At the well, He performed miracles on their behalf and they recited song, as it is stated: “Then Israel sang” (Numbers 21:17). Moses said to [the Israelites]: ‘Know that all the miracles that the Holy One blessed be He performed on behalf of Israel, He performed only through water. When you cross the Jordan to take possession of the Land, there too, He is destined to perform miracles on your behalf with the water of the Jordan.’

Another matter, “hear, Israel: you are crossing the Jordan today” – this is what the verse said: “God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us of the deeds You did in their days” (Psalms 44:2). What is “with our ears”? Rabbi Tanḥuma said: We heard what You said to Moses at the bush. You said to Moses at the bush: ‘It is revealed and foreseen before Me that they are destined to anger Me; nevertheless, I will redeem them.’

From where is it derived that the Holy One blessed be He said this to him? As it is written: “I have seen the affliction of My people that is in Egypt…[as I know its pain]” (Exodus 3:7). What is “as I know its pain”? The Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: ‘I know what pain they are destined to cause [Me by saying, of the golden calf]: “This is your god, Israel” (Exodus 32:4).

Nevertheless, “I have descended to rescue them from the land of Egypt”’ (Exodus 3:8). These are the conditions that You stipulated with Moses. Just as You stipulated with him, so “we have heard with our ears.” What is “our fathers have told us”?

This is Moses, who is called father of all the prophets. “You, with Your hand, drove out nations, and planted them” (Psalms 44:3). [Moses] said to them: ‘From what He did to the two Emorite kings, who were great, you know what He will do to the thirty-one kings when you cross the Jordan.’ That is, “hear, Israel: you are crossing the Jordan today.”

Another matter, “hear, Israel” – what did he see that led him to say here: “hear, Israel”? The Rabbis say: To what is the matter comparable? To a king who betrothed a noblewoman with two precious stones. She lost one of them. The king said to her: ‘You lost one, take care of the other.’ So, the Holy One blessed be He sanctified Israel with: “We will perform and we will heed” (Exodus 24:7). They lost “we will perform” when they crafted the calf. Moses said to them: ‘You lost “we will perform,” take care of “we will heed [nishma].”’ That is “hear [shema], Israel.”

Another matter, “you are crossing the Jordan today” – he said to them: ‘When you cross the Jordan, there will be a new order. Do not think that it will be just as it was in the wilderness, where you would sin and I would pray on your behalf for mercy.’ He said to them: ‘When you performed that act,18The sin of the Golden Calf. and the Holy One blessed be He sought to eradicate you, did I not pray and advocate on your behalf?’

From where is this derived? As it is stated: “I prayed to the Lord, and said: My Lord God, do not destroy Your people…” (Deuteronomy 9:26). Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said: When the Holy One blessed be He said to Moses in the firmament: “Rise, descend quickly from here” (Deuteronomy 9:12), five angels of destruction heard and sought to harm him. They were: Wrath, fury, anger, destruction, and annihilation.

When Moses mentioned the merit of the three patriarchs, as it is written: “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants” (Exodus 32:13), anger, destruction, and annihilation fled, and the two harshest remained, wrath and fury. [Moses] said before [God]: ‘Master of the universe, I mentioned three, and three fled; You overcome wrath,’ as it is stated: “Arise, Lord, in Your wrath” (Psalms 7:7).19This is understood to mean: ‘Arise, Lord, and hold back Your wrath’ – i.e. the angel of wrath, one of the angels of destruction that remained.

That [indicates] that the Holy One blessed be He overcame wrath. From where is it derived that Moses overcame fury? As it is stated: “Had it not been for Moses, His chosen one, who stood before Him in the breach, to turn back His fury from destroying” (Psalms 106:23). Moses descended from the firmament and the Tablets were in his hand, but he did not shatter them until he saw [the Golden Calf] with his eyes.

From where is this derived? As it is stated: “It was when he approached the camp and he saw the calf,” (Exodus 32:19), at that moment, “he cast the Tablets from his hand [and he shattered them at the foot of the mountain]” (Exodus 32:19). The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Moses, did you not believe Me that they crafted a calf,’ as it is stated: “They quickly deviated from the path that I commanded them; [they crafted themselves…a calf]”? (Exodus 32:8).

The Rabbis say: From this matter, Moses quickly ascertained how to exonerate Israel, as the Holy One blessed be He said to him: “That I commanded them.” He said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, I was commanded; did I perhaps violate the command? They were not commanded and they did not know.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Moses, were they not commanded?’

He said to Him: ‘They were not.’ He said to Him: ‘What did You say at Sinai: “I am the Lord your God [Eloheikhem]”? You said only: “I am the Lord your God [Elohekha]” (Exodus 20:2).20In giving the Ten Commandments, God had used the second person singular term “your God [Elohekha],” rather than the second person plural term “your God [Eloheikhem].” Moses argued that the command could be understood as being addressed only to him, and not to the entire nation.

What did You say: “You [lakhem] shall have no other gods before Me”? You said only: “You [lekha] shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3).’21In the second commandment as well, which prohibited idolatry, the singular term you [lekha] was used rather than the second person plural term you [lakhem]. That is: “My Lord God, do not destroy Your people and Your inheritance” (Deuteronomy 9:26). Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said: Moses did not leave any corner of the firmament regarding which he did not exert himself.22He exhausted every possible argument in pleading on behalf of the Israelites (Etz Yosef).

What would he say? What the mouth knows, it will say. Another matter, “My Lord God, do not destroy Your people and Your inheritance” – Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said: When the advocate stopped,23When Moses concluded his prayers. the Divine Spirit was advocating on their behalf. So it would say: “Do not be a witness against your friend for nothing, nor spread wide your lips” (Proverbs 24:28).

“Do not be a witness against your friend for nothing” – this is Israel, who are called friends of the Holy One blessed be He, as it is stated: “For the sake of my brothers and friends…” (Psalms 122:8). “And do not spread wide [vahafitita]” – as it is written: “They beguiled Him [vayfatuhu] with their mouths” (Psalms 78:36). [The Divine Spirit said:] ‘Even when you said at Sinai: “We will heed and we will perform” (Exodus 24:7), and did not fulfill it, I said to the Holy One blessed be He: “Do not say: I will repay him; as he did to Me, so I will do to him” (based on Proverbs 24:29).

Instead, “my Lord God, do not destroy Your people and Your inheritance.”’ That is why, when they came to cross the Jordan, he reminded them of all the advocacy in which he had engaged on their behalf, as he believed that they would pray for mercy for him so that he would enter with them. What is “you are crossing”? Rabbi Tanḥuma said: Moses was expending every effort before them and saying to them: ‘You are crossing, I am not crossing,’ providing them with an opening so that, perhaps, they would pray for mercy for him.

But they did not understand. To what is the matter comparable? To a king who had many children from a noblewoman. The noblewoman betrayed him.

He sought to expel her, and he said to her: ‘You should know that I will take another [wife].’ She said to him: ‘Yes; but will you not tell me who she is that you are going to take?’ He said to her: ‘So-and-so.’ What did the noblewoman do?

She gathered her children and said to them: ‘You should know that your father seeks to divorce me and to take so-and-so, will you be able to bear being subject to her?’24Translation based on Rabbi David Luria. See also Etz Yosef. They said: ‘Yes.’ She said to them: ‘Know what she is going to do to you.’

She was saying [all this] so that perhaps they would understand and request mercy on her behalf from their father. But they did not understand. When they did not understand, she said: ‘I am commanding you only for your own sake, so you will be vigilant regarding the honor of your father.’ So, Moses, after the Holy One blessed be He said to him: “Take to you Joshua son of Nun…” (Numbers 27:18), “as you will not cross the Jordan” (Deuteronomy 3:27), he would say before Israel: “When the Lord your God will bring you to the land into which you are coming to take possession of it” (Deuteronomy 7:1); “you are crossing today,” I am not crossing – perhaps they would understand and ask for mercy on his behalf.

But they did not understand. When they did not understand, he said: ‘I am commanding you only so you will be vigilant regarding honoring your Father in Heaven.’ From where is this derived? As it is stated: “You shall fear the Lord your God…” (Deuteronomy 6:13).25Since Moses would not be there with them to instruct them or to intercede on their behalf if they would sin, it was that much more necessary to reinforce to them that they must fear God.

If the people would not do so and, on the contrary, would worship idols, Moses warns, “He will destroy you from upon the face of the earth” (Deuteronomy 6:15). The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘In this world, everyone was yearning for the Land of Israel, but because of iniquities, you were exiled from it. But in the future, when you have neither sin nor iniquity, I will plant you in it in tranquility.’

From where is this derived? As it is stated: “I will plant them upon their land, and they will not be uprooted from their land” (Amos 9:15).

“At that time the Lord said to me: Carve for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and ascend to Me to the mountain, and make for yourself a wooden Ark” (Deuteronomy 10:1). “At that time the Lord said to me: Carve for yourself” – halakha: A person of Israel who betrothed a woman; who must pay the wages [of the scribe] for [writing] the document of betrothal? So the Sages taught: One writes documents of betrothal and marriage only with the consent of both, and the groom pays the wages.

From whom did they learn this? From the Holy One blessed be He, when the Holy One blessed be He sanctified Israel at Sinai, as it is written: “The Lord said to Moses: Go to the people and sanctify them today and tomorrow” (Exodus 19:10). Who wrote that document? It was Moses.

From where is this derived? “Moses wrote this Torah” (Deuteronomy 31:9). What reward did the Holy One blessed be He give him? It was the radiance of his face, as it is written: “Moses did not know that the skin of his face was radiant” (Exodus 34:29).

When? “Upon His speaking with him” (Exodus 34:29). Reish Lakish said: When he wrote the Torah, Moses received the radiance of his face. How so?

Reish Lakish said: The Torah that was given to Moses, its parchment was white fire, it was written with black fire, sealed with fire, and bound with fire. As he was writing, he wiped the quill in his hair, and it was from there that he received the radiance of his face. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: Moses received the radiance of his face from the Tablets. As the Tablets were given to him, from hand to hand, he received the radiance of his face.

When Israel performed that act, he took [the Tablets] and shattered them. The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘When you served as an intermediary for Israel, I gave you the reward of radiance of the face, now, you shattered the Tablets.’ Rabbi Yitzḥak said: Our Rabbis taught: If the barrel broke, it broke for the intermediary.26He is the one who must replace it. The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘You were the intermediary between Me and my children – you shattered it, you replace it.’

From where is this derived? From that which is written: “The Lord said to Moses: Carve for yourself two tablets of stone, like the first, and I will write on the Tablets the words that were on the first Tablets that you shattered. And be prepared for the morning, and you shall ascend in the morning to Mount Sinai, and you shall stand there for Me at the top of the mountain. No man shall ascend with you and no man shall be seen on the entire mountain. The flocks and the cattle shall not graze facing that mountain” (Exodus 34:1–3).

Another matter, “carve for yourself” – this is what the verse said: “A time to cast stones and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing” (Ecclesiastes 3:5). Rabbi Tanḥuma said: What is “a time to cast stones”? There was a time for Hadrian, may his bones be crushed, to ascend and shatter the stones of the Temple. “And a time to gather stones” – there will be a time when the Holy One blessed be He will build it.

From where is this derived? As it is stated: “Therefore, so said the Lord God: Behold, I am laying a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone of a sturdy foundation; the faithful will not hurry. I will place justice as the line and righteousness as the plummet, and hail will sweep away the shelter of falsehood, and water will flood the concealed place” (Isaiah 28:16–17). Another matter, “a time to cast stones” – the Rabbis say: It is speaking of Moses; there was a time for Moses to cast down the Tablets, as it is written: “It was, when he approached the camp; he saw the calf and dancing; Moses’ wrath was enflamed and he cast the Tablets from his hands and he shattered them at the foot of the mountain” (Exodus 32:19).

“And a time to gather stones” – there was a time for him to restore them to Israel, as it is stated: “Carve for yourself two Tablets of stone.”

Another matter, “carve for yourself” – this is what the verse said: “Do not be hasty in your spirit to become angry, as anger abides in the bosom of fools” (Ecclesiastes 7:9). Who was it who became angry? It was Moses, as it is stated: “Moses’ wrath was enflamed and he cast the Tablets from his hands” (Exodus 32:19). The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘So, Moses, do you vent your fury on the Tablets of the covenant? Do you seek that I will vent My fury, and you will see that the world will be unable to endure for even one hour?’ He said to Him: ‘What can I do?’ He said to him: ‘I will impose a penalty on you: You shattered them, you replace them.’ That is what is written: “Carve for you two Tablets of stone.”

Another matter, “carve for you” – Rabbi Yitzḥak said: It is written: “It will be when he shall sin and is guilty, he shall restore the robbed item that he robbed, or the proceeds of the exploitation that he exploited, or the deposit that was deposited with him, or the lost item that he found” (Leviticus 5:23). The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Were the Tablets not deposited with you? You shattered them, you replace them.’

Rabbi Yitzḥak said: With the second Tablets, Moses reconciled the Holy One blessed be He with Israel. What did he do? He ascended to the Holy One blessed be He, who was angry. He said to Him: ‘Your children are sinning, and You are imposing a penalty upon me?’ [Moses] presented himself as though he was angry at Israel.27He allowed himself to actually get angry, rather than conquering his anger in order to pray on their behalf (see Etz Yosef; Maharzu).

From where is this derived? As it is stated: “Moses returned to the Lord and he said: Please; this people has sinned a great sin, and they made themselves a god of gold. Now, if You would, forgive their sin; but if not, erase me please from Your book that You have written” (Exodus 32:31–32).28Rather than pleading with God to forgive the Israelites, Moses asked God that, if He would not forgive them, He would erase Moses from His book as well.

When the Holy One blessed be He saw that it was so, He said to him: ‘There are two beings who are angry; you and I are angry at them.’29If we are both angry at the Israelites, they are doomed. Immediately: “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend, and he would return to the camp. But his servant, Joshua, son of Nun, a lad, would not move from within the tent” (Exodus 33:11).

The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘There shall not be two beings angry, instead, when you see Me pouring boiling water, you pour cold; and when you see Me pouring cold water, you pour boiling.’ Moses said to him: ‘Master of the universe, how shall it be?’ He said to him: ‘You implore for mercy.’ What did he do?

Immediately, “Moses implored [vayḥal] the Lord his God and he said: Lord, why shall Your wrath be enflamed against Your people that You took out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians speak, saying: He took them out for evil, to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from upon the face of the earth? Relent from Your enflamed wrath and reconsider regarding the evil for Your people” (Exodus 32:11–12).

He said to Him: ‘Your children are bitter, sweeten [ḥaleh] them.’30They sinned, forgive them. Another matter, he said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, I know that You love Your children, and You seek only someone to advocate on their behalf.’ Rabbi Simon said: To what is the matter comparable? To a king and his son who were located in an inner chamber, and his son’s tutor was in the hall.

The king was shouting: ‘Let me be so I will kill my son!’ He was seeking only that someone advocate on his behalf. So, the Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: “Now, let Me be, and My wrath will be enflamed against them and I will destroy them and I will make you into a great nation” (Exodus 32:10). Moses said: Am I, as it were, grasping the hand of the Holy One blessed be He?31Am I holding Him back, such that He says “Let me be”?

He seeks only someone to advocate on their behalf. Immediately, “Moses implored.” Another matter, “now, let Me be” – Moses said: ‘Master of the universe, do You seek to eradicate them? Uproot the upper worlds and the lower worlds, and then uproot them.’

From where is this derived? As it is stated: “Lift your eyes to the heavens and look to the earth below, as the heavens will be eroded like smoke and the earth will be tattered like a garment, and its inhabitants, likewise, will die, but My salvation will be forever and My righteousness will not be daunted” (Isaiah 51:6). First, the heavens will be eroded like smoke…and then: “Its inhabitants, likewise, will die.”

Moses said to Him: ‘Even if You uproot the heavens and the earth, it is impossible for You to uproot Israel, as You took an oath to their patriarchs, and You did not take an oath to them by the heavens or by the earth, but by Your great Name.’ From where is this derived? As it is stated: “To whom You took an oath by Yourself” (Exodus 32:13). [Moses said:] ‘Could You, perhaps void Your great Name?’

Moses said before Him: ‘Consider them like Sodom. What did You say to Abraham? “The Lord said: If I find in Sodom fifty righteous people within the city, I will tolerate the entire place for their sake” (Genesis 18:26), and You were willing to concede to him until ten.’ From where is this derived?

As it is stated: “He said: Please, let my Lord not be incensed, and I will speak only this time. Perhaps ten shall be found there. He said: I will not destroy for the ten” (Genesis 18:32). [Moses said before Him:] ‘I will produce for You eighty righteous men.’ He said to him: ‘Produce them.’

He said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, there are seventy elders,’ as it is written: “The Lord said to Moses: Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people, and its officers, and you shall take them to the Tent of Meeting, and they will stand there with you. I will descend and speak with you there and I will draw from the spirit that is upon you, and I will place it upon them, and they will bear with you the burden of the people, and you will not bear alone” (Numbers 11:16–17). ‘[And] Aaron, Nadav, Avihu, Elazar, Itamar, Pinḥas, and Caleb – that is seventy-seven.’

The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘But Moses, where are three more righteous men?’ [Moses] did not find them. He said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, if those who are alive cannot stand in the breach on their behalf, let the dead stand.’ He said before Him: ‘Do it by the merit of the three patriarchs, and that is eighty – “Remember Abraham, Isaac and Israel, Your servants” (Exodus 32:13).’

Once Moses mentioned the merit of the patriarchs, He immediately said to him: “I have pardoned in accordance with your word” (Numbers 14:20). When Solomon arose and saw that Moses mentioned seventy-seven living righteous men and it would have been of no avail had he not mentioned the merit of the three patriarchs, he began saying: “I praise the dead who are already dead more than the living who are still alive.

Better than both of them is one who has not yet been, who has not seen the evil action that is performed under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 4:2–3). Another matter, “Remember Abraham, Isaac and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Yourself and said to them: I will multiply your offspring like the stars of the heavens, and this entire land that I said I will give to your descendants, they shall inherit it forever.

The Lord reconsidered the evil that He had spoken of doing to His people” (Exodus 32:13–14). Rabbi Levi said: Moses said to Him: ‘Master of the universe, will the dead live?’ He said to him: ‘Are you, too, mistaken? Did I not say to you: “I will kill and I will resurrect”?’ (Deuteronomy 32:39).

Moses said to Him: ‘If the dead will live, consider it as though the patriarchs are standing and beseeching on behalf of their descendants; what would You answer them?’ When Moses said this matter to Him, immediately, the Lord reconsidered the evil.

Another interpretation of "Carve for yourself" (Exodus 34:1): They asked Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai: Why were the first tablets the work of heaven and the second the work of man? He said to them: To what may the matter be compared? To a king who married a woman, and he brought the paper and the scribe from his own and crowned her from his own, and brought her into his house. The king saw her laughing with one of his own servants; he became angry with her and put her out. Her best man came to him and said to him: My master, do you not know from where you took her? Did she not grow up among the servants? And since she grew up among the servants, her heart is brazen with them. The king said to him: And what do you ask, that I be reconciled to her? Bring the paper and the scribe from your own, and here is my own handwriting. So too Moses said to the Holy One, blessed be He, at the time when they fell into that affair, He said to him: Do you not know from what place you brought them out? From Egypt, a place of idolatry. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: And what do you ask, that I be reconciled to them? Bring the tablets from your own, and here is My own handwriting: "And I will write upon the tablets" (Exodus 34:1). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Moses, by your life, just as you gave your soul for them in this world, so in time to come, when I bring them Elijah the prophet, the two of you will come as one. From where do we know this? For thus it is written: "The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty; His way is in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet. He rebukes the sea and makes it dry, and dries up all the rivers; Bashan and Carmel languish, and the flower of Lebanon languishes" (Nahum 1:3-4). "In the whirlwind" (be-sufah) refers to Moses, as it is written: "And when she could no longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch, and put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds (ba-suf) by the bank of the river" (Exodus 2:3). "And in the storm" (u-vise'arah) refers to Elijah, as it is written: "And it came to pass, as they still went on and talked, that behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen! And he saw him no more; and he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces" (2 Kings 2:11-12). At that hour he will come and comfort you. From where do we know? As it is said: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet" and so forth, "and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children" (Malachi 3:23-24).

Another matter, “carve for yourself two Tablets” – why two? The Rabbis say: The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘These provide testimony between Me and My descendants, corresponding to two witnesses, corresponding to two groomsmen, corresponding to a groom and bride, corresponding to the heavens and the earth, corresponding to this world and the World to Come.’

Another matter, “carve for you” – they asked Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Zakkai: Why were the first Tablets, the work of Heaven, and the second, the work of man? He said to them: To what is the matter comparable: To a king who married a woman and brought the paper and the scribe at his own expense. He adorned her at his expense and took her into his house. The king saw her flirting with one of his slaves. He became angry at her and banished her. Her friend came to him and said to him: ‘My master, do you not know from where you took her? Did she not grow up among slaves? Since she grew up among slaves, she is familiar with them.’ The king said to him: ‘What are you requesting, that I reconcile with her? Bring the paper and the scribe at your expense, and I will give my signature.’ So, Moses said to the Holy One blessed be He, when they committed that deed,32The sin of the Golden Calf. he said to Him: ‘Do You not know from what place You took them? It was from Egypt, a place of idol worship.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘What are you requesting, that I reconcile with them? Bring the Tablets at your expense, and I will add My handwriting’ – “[The Lord said to Moses: Carve for yourself two Tablets of stone like the first,] and I will write on the Tablets” (Exodus 34:1). The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Moses, as you live, just as you devoted your life to them in this world, so, in the future, when I bring Elijah the prophet, both of you will come as one.’ From where is this derived? From that which is written: “The Lord is slow to anger, and great of power, and He will not exonerate; the Lord, in a storm and in a tempest is His way, and the dust of His feet is a cloud. He castigates the sea and dries it, and all the rivers He has made dry; Bashan and Carmel are miserable and the flower of Lebanon is miserable” (Nahum 1:3–4). “In a storm [besufa]” – this is Moses, as it is written: “She could no longer conceal him, and she took a wicker basket for him and coated it with clay and with pitch; she placed the child in it and placed it among the reeds [basuf] on the bank of the Nile” (Exodus 2:3). “And in a tempest” – this is Elijah, as it is written: “It was as they were walking, walking and talking, and behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared, and they separated between the two of them, and Elijah went up in a tempest to the heavens. Elisha saw, and he was shouting: My father, my father, chariot of Israel and its horsemen; and he did not see him anymore. He grasped his garments, and rent them into two pieces” (II Kings 2:11–12). At that time he will come and comfort you.33Elijah, along with Moses, will come to comfort Israel. From where is this derived? As it is stated: “[Remember the Torah of Moses My servant…] Behold, I am sending Elijah the prophet to you… He will return the heart of the fathers to the children” (Malachi 3:22–24).